It’s hard to believe but it’s already mid-November! Most of the farmers’ markets have wrapped up for the year and many of us have put away our grilling equipment. However, there’s no need to despair that summer is over. It’s now time for one of easiest and most delicious types of cooking: Braising!

There are a number of reasons to love braising:

It’s Cost Effective: Cooking inexpensive cuts of meat low-and-slow transforms them into meal that is tender and succulent. For less than $8.00, a pork shoulder can feed up to six people. As for equipment, all you’ll need is a pot with a heavy lid, a stovetop and an oven and you’re good to go.

It’s Easy: Once the initial prep work is done (which usually involves little more than some simple chopping and searing), the braise goes into the oven and does its thing. You can sit back, enjoy a glass of wine and a few hours later dinner will be ready.

It’s Delicious: The results achieved from low-and-slow cooking are always impressive. The meat becomes meltingly tender and the resulting juices can be reduced to make a silky, luxurious sauce.

It’s Versatile: The basic technique of braising (sear the meat, add aromatics and liquid, cover and cook on low heat) can be adapted to work with almost any kind of meat or vegetable. The finished product can usually be used in a number of ways, from taco fillings to pasta sauces.

Bring the sauce to a boil and return the pork shoulder to the mixture.

Cover tightly and place in the oven for one hour. After one hour, remove the star anise points if desired (it is quite strong). Return the pot for another hour.

Check on the braise after the second hour. When done, it should be fork tender. Return to the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until completely tender and the meat is easy to shred.

Remove the pot from the oven and transfer to the stovetop. Carefully take the shoulder out of the liquid and set aside in a large bowl.

Strain the remaining sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepot. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce for about 15 to 20 minutes.

In a separate cup, combine 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 teaspoons cold water. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and free of lumps. Pour into the strained and reduced braising mixture.

Continue to boil for another five minute until the sauce begins to thicken slightly and is a bit glossy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Break off chunks of the pork shoulder with a fork. Pour the sauce liberally over the meat and garnish with green onions, if desired. It’s delicious over rice or noodles and accompanied by sautéed bok choy.

Note: The meat and sauce can be refrigerated overnight, making it easy to skim off any excess fat. The sauce will likely gel once cooled but will return to liquid once heated.

Bon Appétit and Enjoy!

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As many of you know, I recently returned from a trip to Piedmont, Italy. The fantastic food and wine of the region has inspired me so I’ve been working on my own interpretation of recipes that reflect the foods of the region using ingredients that are accessible to North American cooks.

A popular dish in the Piedmont region is Brasato al Barolo, which is beef braised in Barolo wine. Unfortunately, Barolos can be quite expensive so you can easily substitute any inexpensive dry red wine, as long as it’s decent enough to drink. I used a bottle of Cantina Terre del Barolo Barbera d’Alba 2008, which retails for $13.95 in Ontario. Luckily, the recipe only calls for two cups so you’ll have the rest of the bottle to enjoy with dinner! I call for short ribs because they braise beautifully, resulting in a tender and flavourful dish.

To build flavour and add umami to the dish, I’ve used porcini powder. Porcini are mushrooms that grow abundantly in Italy and are common in many Italian dishes. Unfortunately, fresh porcini are often difficult to find in North American stores because they are very perishable. However, many stores sell packages of dried porcini (I’ve seen them at gourmet stores, Italian specialty shops, some supermarkets and fruit and vegetable markets). It’s very easy to make porcini powder from dried mushrooms: just add a few to a mortar and use the pestle to grind them to a powder (if you don’t have a mortar-and-pestle, just crush them with a rolling pin or the flat side of a large knife). Extra powder can be kept in a sealed container and used in soups, stews or pasta sauces.

Porcini powder is easy to make with dried mushrooms and a mortar-and-pestle

A Note About Authenticity: Italians typically serve Brasato al Barolo with polenta instead of pasta (pasta is usually served as a separate first course). However, egg noodles are delicious with the sauce, creating a rich and hearty main dish. Look for long, flat noodles made with eggs. The beef will taste even better after a day or two so plan ahead and make extras! Leftover shredded meat also makes a great filling for ravioli or agnolotti.

Pappardelle is delicious with wine-braised beef

Barolo-Braised Beef with Pappardelle

Makes about 6 servings

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 large meaty bone-in beef short ribs, each weighing about 10 to 12 ounces (300 to 340 grams)

Pat the short ribs dry with clean paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. In an enameled cast iron pot (5.5 quarts or larger) or oven proof pot with a lid, add the olive oil and heat on medium-high.

Add the short ribs. Let the ribs brown, about three to four minutes per side. Turn the ribs so that all sides brown. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Add the bacon to the pot and sauté until it’s beginning to crisp. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste. Add the flour and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Pour in the wine, beef broth and coffee.

Add the herbs and the porcini powder, stirring to combine. Return the browned short ribs to the pot.

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and place the lid on the pot. Put the pot into a preheated oven (350F). Cook for two hours.

Check on the ribs after two hours. Stir to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Check on them again after 30 minutes – the ribs should be getting very tender and almost falling off the bone. Spoon some liquid over them (you can add another 1/2 cup of stock if the sauce is getting low). Return to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes or until they are fork-tender and falling off the bone.

Remove the pot from the oven. Use tongs to extract the ribs from the sauce. Place them in a bowl and set aside. Strain the sauce into a large sauce pan, using a large spoon to press all of the liquid through a strainer. Heat the sauce on medium-low heat. Spoon off as much fat from the top of the sauce as possible (you can also cool the sauce overnight – the fat will harden and can easily be removed).

Place the cooked ribs on a cutting board. Remove any bones, fat and connective tissues and discard. Use two fork to shred the meat. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return the meat to the pot of simmering sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and heat through while preparing the pasta.

Cook the pappardelle or other egg noodles according to package directions (usually about 6 minutes). Drain well. Toss the pasta with the braised meat and sauce and top with shaved parmesan cheese before serving.

Bon Appétit and Enjoy!

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It’s mid-December and in many areas the weather has taken a turn for the grim. The days are short and dark and curling up with a cup of tea in front of the fire is a very appealing prospect. What could be more delicious for dinner than a hearty braise, served over creamy risotto?

Any good butcher should be able to get veal shanks for you. Be sure to ask if you don't see any on display.

Osso bucco are Italian veal shanks and my friend Steve makes the best version I have ever had (it’s even better than the one I tried at Babbo restaurant in NYC!). Luckily he gave me the recipe so now I can make it whenever I please. It’s ideal for cold winter nights when you don’t want to fuss because it’s easy to put together and most of the cooking time is unattended. Any good butcher should be able to get you veal shanks so ask for them if you don’t see them on display.

Tip: Don’t skip the gremolata – it brings all of the flavours together.

Steve’s Osso Bucco

Makes 6 servings

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

6 veal shanks (osso bucco)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium red onions, diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine

3 cups (700 ml) chicken stock

14 fl. oz. can San Marzano tomatoes with juice (or half of a large can)

Gremolata:

1 large clove of garlic, finely minced

3 Tablespoons finely chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley

The rind from 2 lemons (yellow part only), finely diced

In a large bowl, add the flour, salt and pepper and stir to combine thoroughly. Roll each of the veal shanks in the flour, making sure they are coated on all sides. Shake off any excess flour and set the shanks aside on a plate. Discard any leftover flour.

In an enameled cast iron pot (5.5 quart or larger) or other large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the veal shanks to the oil, making sure they are not crowded in the pot (work in batches if necessary). The shanks will take about 3 to 4 minutes per side to brown. Use tongs or a fork to turn them over.

Remove the browned shanks from the pot and set aside. Add the butter to the pot and heat until melted. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Turn the heat back to medium-high and pour in the wine, chicken stock and tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Return the veal shanks to the pot and use one of the following methods to finishing cooking:

Stovetop Method: Cover and simmer for 2 to 4 hours on medium-low heat, until the meat is tender. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. OR use the Oven Method: Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the pot and place in the oven, cooking for 3 hours or until the shanks are tender.

To Make the Gremolata: In a small bowl, add the chopped garlic, parsley and lemon rind and stir to thoroughly combine.

Stir the gremolata into the osso bucco sauce just before serving.

Serve the shanks and sauce over risotto milanese. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

A Delicious Tip: The bone marrow at the centre of each cooked shank can be seasoned with sea salt and scooped out with a small spoon. Serve with toast rounds if desired.

Bon Appétit and Enjoy!

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